2026 New Year Special Feature: Fly Saga Sports
The Saga Ballooners (Saga City) of the men’s basketball league B League 1 (B1) are entering the middle of their third year of promotion. After the 17th round, they are in 7th place in the West Region with 14 wins and 14 losses (as of December 28), but with the injured players finally returning, they are regaining their original fighting style that they have been preparing for before the start of the season.
This season, five players have been added, including Sanen’s David Dudzinski and SR Shibuya’s Ryo Abe. Head coach Yuta Miyanaga, in his fifth year in office, has begun reforming the team, a complete change from before the start of last season, when he was only reinforcing Kosuke Kanamaru. The team has shifted from the defensive style they had built up to now to an aggressive strategy that increases scoring opportunities through fast development.
Although they won consecutive games against Shiga in the opening round, Reynaldo Garcia, who was in his sixth year with the team, was injured. From the second round onwards, the absence of a core control tower was a major blow. The short-term absences of Ryota Inoue and Atsuo Kishida also hurt the team, and there were a number of games that were missed by close margins.
Still, the new duo of Tanner Groves and Dudzynski are venting their energy under the goal and supporting the team’s difficult situation. Both of them average double-digit points, and their coordination with handlers Taiki Tsunoda and Abe is outstanding. Shooter Kanemaru is also doing well with a 3-point shooting success rate of 47.5% (as of December 28), and is performing well to be selected as the first B1 All-Star from Saga.
On December 20th, Garcia returned to the field for the first time in about three months and exploded, averaging over 18 points in five games since his return. All members have finally arrived and are ready to make a comeback. The team has recently won five consecutive games, and captain Ryota Inoue says, “I want to fight with a sense of crisis and responsibility,” expressing his strong desire to rise to the top.
The first match of the new year will be on the 3rd and 4th at their home base, SAGA Arena, against Gunma from the East region. Although they still have no winning spots in the past with 0 wins and 6 losses, they would like to start 2026 on a good note with the aim of competing in the championship. (Takanori Kitagawa)
